Gifford Pinchot. Library of Congress LC-B2-1045-10
Gifford Pinchot has been called the “Father of American Conservation” because of his great concern for protecting America’s forests. He realized that our forests were not inexhaustible and believed in conservation of the forests by planned use and renewal.
Gifford was born at his family’s summer home in Sims-bury, Connecticut, on August 11, 1865. The family lived in New York City in the winter. His parents, James Pinchot and Mary Eno Pinchot, were wealthy. Gifford’s father and grandfather had made a lot of money in the lumber business. However, his father had realized that clear-cutting forests caused problems. Clear-cutting means cutting down all the trees in an area, destroying the habitat and leaving the area open to erosion.
James Pinchot taught his children to have an appreciation for nature and the forests. Besides the home in Connecticut, the Pinchots also had an estate in Milford, Pennsylvania, where Gif-ford spent a lot of time while growing up with his younger sister, Nettie, and his younger brother, Amos.
In the early 1870s, the whole family spent three years traveling around Europe. They visited England, France, Italy, and Germany. While at home, Gifford was a student at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.
As Gifford was getting ready to enroll in college at Yale University, his dad asked him a question that might not seem strange now, but was at that time. He asked, “How would you like to be a forester?” It was strange because the United States had no school to train foresters and no forestry service.
Campus of Yale University.
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Gifford later said, “I had no more conception of what it meant to be a forester than the man in the moon…. But at least a forester worked in the woods and with the woods—and I loved the woods and everything about them…. My father’s suggestion settled the question in favor of forestry.”
Pinchot spent four years at Yale getting a general education. Then he went to England to see how they handled their forests. He met Sir Dietrich Brandis, who was in charge of forestry projects in India. Brandis recommended he go to the National Forestry Academy in Nancy, France. He even wrote him a letter of introduction to the director. Pinchot was pleased to be going to school in France, since his family was French. He later wrote, “I presented my letters and was accepted as a foreign student by Director Puton on November 13, 1889—thirteen always was my lucky number—found rooms at the house of le Pere et la Mere Babel, just outside the school gate, bought the necessary books, went to work, and cabled home for permission to stay, all in the order named.”
Gifford took three courses at the school. First was silviculture, which he says “deals with trees and forests and what they are, how they grow, how they are protected, handled, harvested and produced.”
The second was forest organization, which taught him about the economic side of forestry. He learned about all the money issues and “how to get out of the forest the most of whatever it is you want.”
He didn’t think his third course, forest law, would be helpful, since it was all about French law. However, when he eventually spent a great deal of time on US forest laws, he decided the course was more helpful than he had thought.
Gifford’s favorite professor, Lucien Boppe, told him, “When you get home to America you must manage a forest and make it pay.” Pinchot never forgot that advice. He returned to America in December 1890, but he still had to find a forest to manage.
He said, “When I came home, not a single acre of government, state, or private timber-land was under systematic forest management.” People believed there were enough forests to last forever, but Pinchot knew better. He decided there were two ways to go about changing that attitude.
One was to inform people of the need for forest management. The Forestry Association had already been doing that, with little success. The other way was to put forestry into practice in a forest to show that it was practical and could succeed. He chose this path.
Pinchot believed that forestry was tree farming. He said, “Forestry is handling trees so that one crop follows another. To grow trees as a crop is forestry.” He knew that raising a crop of trees took much longer than raising a crop of corn or wheat. He realized that the person who planted the trees might not be around to see them mature.
General Sherman.
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During the next two weeks, he talked with many of the leaders of the forest movement in America. Then he spoke to a joint meeting of the American Forestry Association and the American Economic Association in Washington, DC. He read parts of his paper “Government Forestry Abroad.”
Pinchot also met General William Tecumseh Sherman, who was interested in the environment. Sherman advised him to get to know his country better before he tried to put a forestry plan in practice. Pinchot took his advice and accepted a job from Phelps, Dodge and Company. He was to examine their forests in Pennsylvania and report on how forestry could be introduced there. Since lumbering was such a big business in that area, he did not recommend the immediate introduction of forestry.
Plant a tree in your yard. You can often get free trees to plant, especially around Arbor Day. Do a search online for free trees.
Child helping to plant a tree in 1920.
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Adult supervision required
Soon after he finished that job, Dr. Bernhard Fernow invited Pinchot to go with him to examine some hardwood timber in eastern Arkansas. They spent 10 days there in the woods, then went on down the Mississippi River to New Orleans.
In the spring of 1891, Pinchot took another job with Phelps, Dodge and Company. This time he was to examine forests they owned in California and Arizona. It was his first trip to the far west, and he was impressed by the vastness of the land and sky.
Cornelius Vanderbilt hired Pinchot in January 1892 to manage his Biltmore Forest Estate near Asheville, North Carolina. Vanderbilt was interested in conservation. He also thought that a managed forest on the estate would be a good example to others. Pinchot improved the forest by selective thinning of trees. He also identified tree species and studied growth conditions, as well as determined the volume of timber per acre on the estate.
The Biltmore Estate.
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Pinchot put together an exhibit on scientific forest management for the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. The exhibit included a pamphlet explaining his three main objectives: profitable production, nearly constant annual yield of timber, and improvement in the condition of the forest. His success at the Biltmore Estate was proof that forest management worked.
Pinchot as a forester.
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In 1897, Pinchot was appointed a special forest agent for the federal government. The next year he was made head of the Division of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture. In 1899, the division was renamed the US Forest Service and took over control of the national forest preserves.
Reforestation project in Maryland.
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Reforestation is the restoring of a forest that has been reduced by either cutting or fire. It can be accomplished either by replanting or by natural regeneration. Replanting is done by humans. Natural regeneration is a gradual process where new trees grow from seeds or sprouts dropped by other trees in the forest.
Reforestation is necessary if humans are to have forests available for use by future generations. This is important for many reasons. From a monetary standpoint, timber is harvested and sold, making money for the owner of the land and for the loggers who work there. Without reforestation, the next generation would have no lumber to use.
Reforestation also helps to prevent erosion. When an area is clear cut, the trees and tree roots are not available to keep water from quickly running off the land, taking soil with it. Another benefit of reforestation is to provide habitat for wildlife, such as rabbits, deer, quail, elk, moose, ruffed grouse, and wild turkey. These animals live in areas where they can find food and shelter.
Forests also provide recreation opportunities. People enjoy hiking and camping in the forests. Birdwatching and hunting are other activities carried out in forests.
Reforestation is carried out by tree farmers and logging operations. Many different methods are used in reforestation. The method used depends on the type of trees in the forest and whether they grow best in shade or in sun.
Wildlife habitat is a driving force behind management which promotes recreation for the family to enjoy … forestry is a long-term investment with returns down the road…. lt’s important to pass on to the next generation. We view reforestation as away to help the forest along, to promote species we want back, to select what grows well on different sites.
As Gifford Pinchot emphasized, proper forest management will allow for profits as well as ensure an ongoing supply of forests to be used for logging and recreation and to provide wildlife habitat.
At that time Theodore Roosevelt was president, and he and Pinchot were friends. Roosevelt allowed Pinchot a lot of freedom to carry out his duties. Pinchot was dedicated to his job and worked hard. His enthusiasm spread to his staff.
Roosevelt and Pinchot have been credited with giving the name conservation to the movement for preservation and stewardship of natural resources. While Pinchot was in charge, the US Forest Service added millions of acres of national forests. In 1905, there were 60 national forests. By 1910 there were 150, and they covered 172 million acres. Pinchot controlled the use of the forests and managed their harvest.
Pinchot’s philosophy was to do “the greatest good for the greatest number in the long run.” He founded the Society of American Foresters in November 1900. He also founded the world’s largest forest products laboratory, and he wrote conservation speeches for Roosevelt, who used them with very little change.
When William Howard Taft was elected president in 1909, he appointed Richard Ballinger as secretary of the interior. Taft didn’t believe in government ownership of land. Pinchot accused Ballinger and Taft of not enforcing conservation policies. In 1910, Taft fired Pinchot and replaced him with Henry S. Graves.
Pinchot and Roosevelt.
National Archives
After he lost the forestry job, Pinchot helped Teddy Roosevelt organize the Bull Moose Party, which was a nickname for the Progressive Party. Roosevelt and many other Republicans were unhappy with Taft and thought he was doing little for the country. The Bull Moose Party supported the minimum wage, the right to vote for women, and worker’s compensation. In 1912 Roosevelt ran for president against Taft and Democrat Woodrow Wilson, who was elected. Roosevelt got the highest percentage of the popular vote that any third-party candidate had ever received.
Go on a scavenger hunt in the woods. You won’t have to disturb anything in the environment, just keep a list. See how many of these things you can find.
As you find each item, check it and take a photo of it.
In 1914 Pinchot ran as the Progressive candidate for governor of Pennsylvania but was not elected. After that, he and Roosevelt both returned to the Republican Party. During the campaign, Pinchot married Cornelia Bryce, the daughter of a wealthy family. She worked hard as an activist for child labor reform, birth control, and women’s suffrage (the right to vote). They had a son, Gifford Bryce Pinchot.
In 1920, Pinchot was appointed commissioner of forestry in Pennsylvania. As a forester, he established many of the state forests that still exist today. He also restructured the state forestry system.
Pinchot was still interested in becoming governor of Pennsylvania. He ran in 1922 and won. As governor, he was able to make the state government more efficient. He paid off the state debt and had a good record in labor-management dealings. Pinchot was controversial, though. Many people resented him for enforcing prohibition.
By law, Pinchot could not serve consecutive terms as governor, so he ran for the US Senate in 1926 and lost. He was re-elected governor in 1930 and had to face the challenges of the Great Depression. He created state jobs programs, especially jobs paving roads. Although he was a Republican, he supported President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s federal aid programs. Pinchot was also among the first governors to include women, African Americans, and Jews in his administration.
After his term ended, Pinchot still fought for conservation causes in Washington. He developed a fishing survival kit for naval personnel to use if they were adrift at sea. It was adopted by the US Army, Navy, and Coast Guard.
Cornelia Pinchot and Gifford Jr.
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Pinchot also spent five years writing his autobiography, Breaking New Ground. The book was published after his death. He died of leukemia on October 4, 1946, at the age of 81.
Pinchot as governor of Pennsylvania.
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Pinchot is known for being the first professionally trained forester in the United States. He once said that he had been “a governor every now and then, but I am a forester all the time.” He and Teddy Roosevelt are credited with establishing the conservation movement. Roosevelt said, “Among the many, many public officials who under my administration rendered literally invaluable service to the people of the United States, Gifford Pinchot on the whole stood first.”
The Great Depression in the United States began when the stock market crashed in October 1929. The stocks people owned were suddenly worth only a fraction of their for mervalue. Thousands of people had invested all their money in stocks, and many lost it all.
The Depression continued through out the 1930s. During this time many businesses failed and unemployment was widespread. Factories, stores, and banks closed. By 1932, a fourth of the American people were out of work. Many were homeless and had to depend on the government or charities to provide them with food.
Herbert Hoover was president when the stock market crashed. He believed the Depression was the result of a world wide depression, and he thought the economy would have to recover naturally.
In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president. Unlike Hoover, he believed there was a lot the government could do to help pull the country out of the Depression. His recovery program was known as the New Deal. In his inaugural address, he told the people of the United States, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
PresidentFranklinD.Roosevelt.
Dover Publications, Inc.
Roosevelt didn’t believe that he had all the answers to the problems of the Depression, but he was convinced that it was important to act quickly and try different methods to help the economy. Hesaid, “Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something.”
Since unemployment was so high, one of the first priorities was to create jobs. Roosevelt formed the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The program gave jobs to young men ages 19 to 25. They lived in work camps across the country and were paid $30 a month. The projects they worked on included planting trees, cleaning up stream pollution, and creating fish, game, and bird sanctuaries.
Members of the CCC (Civil Conservation Corps) at work.
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The Civil Works Administration funded jobs for others. These workers repaired highways, dug ditches, and taught. Roosevelt favored programs that gave the unemployed work rather than welfare. Other programs targeted improvements to agriculture and industry.
Gifford Pinchot, although a Republican, backed the Democratic president in his programs. Pinchot himself found ways to provide many jobs for Pennsylvanians during the Depression. He was most proud of the fact that 20,000 miles of dirt roads were paved during his second term as governor, providing jobs for many.